The perks of being a Cowboy's girl
by stars and sparkles
Summary: /One in a while, right in the middle of ordinary life, Love gives us a fairytale./ "I swear if fall off the horse, your head falls off your body."


"Stop testing my patience Ranger Rick!"

It was just a usual hot summer day in Texas except it wasn't. Today marked one year of togetherness for the city girl and the cowboy. It was Lucas and Maya's one year anniversary and they had taken a break from the speedy life of New York City and come to Texas to celebrate.

It was their last year in high school and it took them long enough to get together so all their friends and especially Riley convinced them to observe this legendary moment in a special way. Maya hadn't been to Texas before and Lucas was keen on giving her a glimpse of his childhood even if that meant earning more nicknames from his girlfriend.

This seemed like a good idea until today because it was like 140 degrees outside and Maya wasn't pleased because they were walking in scorching heat to Lucas knows where.

Earlier that day, Maya had gifted him a painting of them together riding on a white horse. Maybe it was a bit too cheesy for Maya Hart but Lucas loved it anyways. It was time for Lucas to present her with an anniversary gift but Lucas told her that he couldn't give to her in the house. So they drove through Texas' muddy streets for a good 15 mins and still they weren't close to Lucas' surprise. Lucas blindfolded Maya with a cloth and they started walking.

Maya had been very patient but this was getting annoying quickly. They had been walking since what seemed like forever, she was wearing heels to keep up with her boyfriend's height and it was so hot, she could melt. Lucas did tell her not wear the heels but she remained her stubborn self. He held her hand tight and guided her but if this surprise wasn't worth all of this, she was going to have him make it up to her for all this hard work and patience and then kill him.

"Maya, calm down. We're almost there."

"You've told me that like ten times before."

"Because you've asked me that question like ten times before."

She pinched him with her other hand with her sharp nails that left a red mark on his skin. How long was he gonna make her walk?

"Easy lioness! We're there!"

Those words seemed like a beautiful melody to her ears and her extremely exhausted body.

"Finally!"

She exclaimed happily as he untied the know of the blindfold. Finally, they were here and she could witness her amazing surprise gift. She had high expectations because frankly, Lucas had been nothing short of a perfect boyfriend to her in the past year and he would pamper her with the most innovative gifts, which also gave all her friends a reason to envy her.

But the wide grin disappeared from her face as soon as she examined the place she was in. Sure, she had never been to Texas but she could infer that they were at a ranch with horses grazing and two of them running in a fenced ground.

wait a second..

Lucas did not bring her here for what she thinks he brought her here right? He better not.

"umm.. Lucas, what are we doing here?" She tried to remain calm and not show how freaked out because of what she thought she was going to do here.

"We're here to ride a horse and teach you how to do that."

Oh no.

They were here for what she thought they were here for and she didn't want to be here for.

Riding a horse. Riding an untrained free horse in a open ground where he could lose control and he could run with her on top of it screaming for help.

"What the fuck Lucas? I am not going to risk my life on our first anniversary!" She yelled at him, completely rejecting his idea.

"It's a horse, Maya." He said slightly surprised and slightly amused by her reaction.

"Exactly, my point Ranger Rick. It's a horse. What if he goes out of control and races away or what if he does one of those going up on his two legs and making the cringe-worthy horse noise and start jumping and I fall off of it in the mud and get myself hurt ot worst, what if that happens near a cliff or on a road and what if I die?"

She spoke hastily and dramatically with her hands moving frantically showcasing how repellant she was of the idea.

He chuckled at her. "Maya, you need to breathe. You're being ridiculous."

"I am being ridiculous? You and your idea are both ridiculous."

"Hey you were the one who painted us on a horse so I thought why not bring your vision to life and make this trip more adventurous." He was right. She was the one who envisioned them on a horse in the first place.

"There is no way I'm doing this." She turned to the other side with an angry pout and her arms crossed.

He knew she'd love it and it was honestly were disappointing of Maya Hart to chicken out at something like this. She was so scared, he was sure there was a backstory to this fear. So he did, what a good boyfriend would do.

He turned to face him and looked straight into those sapphire eyes.

"Trust me, I'd never put you in danger. Do this for me please?"

He said softly. His voice reeking of sincerity and hope. She gave up and decided to fulfill his wish because this was the first time he's actually asking her for something.

"Fine." She sighed.

"I loovvee you."

"I love you too but I swear if I fall off that horse, your head falls off your body."

He just chortled and threw his arm around her shoulder before calling out to his friend Tom who apparently owned the ranch.

A guy of about their age with neat blonde hair and a cowboy hat came running towards them.

"Hey man!"

"Hey!"

He looked at Maya and smiled knowingly.

"So this is the lucky girl you were talking about?"

Lucas looked in Maya's direction and smiled proudly.

"Yes. This is her, Maya Hart. Anyhow, where is the white horse we talked about?"

Tom pointed to a white horse in the fenced ground that stood with a boy who looked like all the guys working here, cowboy-ish.

The couple walked to the ground and Maya's heartbeat started racing as they got closer to the horse.

"Maya, this is the horse. His name is Snow and he's one of the most friendly horses here. Now, you gotta touch him or stroke him so he knows you're not danger and he recognizes you."

How was she supposed to be danger? The horse was danger. Lucas demonstrated and stroked the horse affectionately and looked at Maya, indicating her to do the same. She nervously lifted her right hand and hesitantly brought it close to the horse's neck.

"It's a horse. Not a monster."

"Shut it! I'm trying."

She finally touched the horse and stroked his hair apprehensively. She got the hang of it soon and was more comfortable. The guy who stood beside the horse then gave her the equestrian helmet. The helmet was an ugly shade of brown and Maya made a face when she saw it.

"I don't wanna wear it."

Lucas smirked. "Fine.. so if and when you fall off the horse-"

Before he could complete, Maya snatched the helmet and started fidgeting with it.

"Here, I'll help you."

He took the helmet from her tiny hands and placed it on her head, fastening it meticulously. The only thought that ran through his mind was, how cute his little Hart looked and so he did the first thing any nice guy would do at that moment. He clicked a picture and as soon as Maya realised the flash came from his phone's camera , she hid her face.

"Huckleberry! Keep the phone back in your pocket or I ain't doing this thing!"

He immediately stopped and kept the phone back in his pocket before looking at the pictures and laughing. This was going to be a picture, he would show to his children while narrating this whole incident to them. Yes, he had planned a lot of things, even the school their children would go to.

Lucas instructed and helped Maya as she placed her left foot in the stirrup. He supported her from behind so she could lift her right leg over. After she was in the right position, he fastened the girth so the saddle won't tip over.

After she was seated, Lucas mounted on the horses behind her and wrapped his hands around her belly. He held his hand tight because she was still scared.

"Now what?"

"Squeeze the sides slightly with both your legs and hold on to the reigns."

"Why won't you do all that?"

"Because you're the student here."

She rolled her eyes and did as instructed in a dithery manner. The horses started walking, slowly increasing its pace and Maya shut her eyes close.

Lucas signalled the guy who took care of the horse to open the gate of the fenced ground and Snow escaped the ground.

Maya opened her eyes and blinked in confusion because the last thing she saw, was them in a small green ground and not on unknown streets of Texas.

"'What the hell Lucas? Where are we going? Oh my god, the horse is out of control! we're going to die!"

"Would you stop being paranoid Maya? I am controlling the directions. We're going somewhere special."

"I am tired of your special places. They don't seem that special to me, ya know Ranger Rick?"

He ignored the comment completely and kept his focus on controlling Snow.

Now that Maya knew that the horse was in control, she was actually enjoying this. She'd fall off of things in her childhood so the horse riding thing didn't exactly excite her but this was one of the best experiences she'd ever had. The horse was going at a decently fast pace and she could not feel more alive. It was like one of those dreams where you don't know where you're going but the path to your destinations is exquisite. Since it was near evening, the weather had cooled down just a bit and the wind was caressing her face. She closed her eyes taking it all in and feeling more allayed than ever. She rested her head on Lucas' chest as he kissed her forehead softly. She decided to take the helmet off because she wasn't scared anymore and she yearned for more freedom and ease. Her stunning blonde hair waved in sync with the wind and even though they were all over his face, he didn't mind. Instead, he took in the scent of lavender with fondness.

After half an hour of experiencing a fairytale like scene, they stopped. Maya snapped out of her dreamy mood and looked around. Before she could contemplate on anything, Lucas got down and held her hand as she descended the horse too.

"Here's a piece of my childhood, I wanted to show you."

They were at a lake, a lovely one and unlike the city, it was surrounded by greenery and the atmosphere was refreshing and altogether invigorating. They sat down on a bench beside the lake with her head resting on his shoulder.

"Thank you Lucas. This was like dreamy fairytale."

They sat there for an hour, talking life and death, flaunting their love to the sun that was setting slowly. They didn't even click a picture because the beauty of the moment was too much to be captured in a camera.

' _Once in a while,_

 _right in the middle of an ordinary life,_

 _Love gives us a fairytale._ '


End file.
